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enThe four big reasons why Christian Benteke is not the new Andy CarrollPaul Wilkesanalyses whether the burly Belgium striker is likely to be more Morientes than Carroll at Anfield...Paul Wilkeshttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/four-big-reasons-why-christian-benteke-not-new-andy-carroll
There's a sense of déjà vu at Anfield, with Liverpool selling a pacy forward for around £50m only to almost instantly spend just over £30m on a strong, aggressive striker. The sale of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City and subsequent purchase of Aston Villa's Christian Benteke naturally prompts memories of deadline day January 2011, when Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea andNewcastle's Andy Carroll signed as a replacement.
It's easy to compare the transfers, but there's an important difference to that transaction almost half a decade ago. Unlike Carroll replacing Torres, Benteke isn't superseding Sterling; the Belgian has been acquired to improve on Fabio Borini, Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli's goal return of just four Premier League strikes between them, while Benteke netted 13 in a struggling Aston Villa side.
Benteke isn't Carroll v2.0
Although promising, Carroll was a far rawer player than Benteke when he arrived on Merseyside. Barely 22, the striker had experienced just six months of regular Premier League action and only one full season in the Championship. He had also been involved in several off-field incidents, some of which involved the police, and he was advised by then England manager Fabio Capello to “drink less”.
In comparison, Benteke – born the year after Carroll, he turns 25 in December – has never faced personal troubles of his own making. His father is a disciplinarian and when he talks about his family, there's humility and recognition of the sacrifices they have had to make.
"He’s strict on me because of life, because of my little brother and sister, because he has seen what can happen," admitted Benteke. The powerful forward was born in Zaire (now DR Congo), but his family fled the Mobutu regime and he now has 24 international caps for Belgium.
There's some concern over Benteke's injury record, but he has made more than 30 outings in three of his last four seasons, whereas Carroll has managed this only twice in his entire career.
Both possess the capability to be devastating aerially and have the strength to bully opposition defenders, although they are different stylistically in a number of other ways.
Benteke suits Rodgers’ Liverpool
Benteke is more technically adroit with the ball than Carroll, able to dribble more and find his team-mates more easily with the ball. This is evidenced by Benteke's better technical stats than Carroll last season: more through-balls, a higher pass success rate, more successful dribbles, more key passes.
Through playing in a gifted Belgium side, Benteke is used to short, sharp pass interchanges, which means he will fit well with how the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino want to play.
The Stats Zone video below shows how, during Villa's win away at White Hart Lane last season, the Belgian hitman linked up play, constantly coming deep and pulling out wide to offer short passes and bring the midfield into the equation. This compares to the constant long balls sent forward to Caroll during the match at Swansea last term, with the former Newcastle frontman's impact on the game reduced as a result.
At Villa, Benteke developed a good understanding with Fabian Delph and Jack Grealish, and combining with the clever Brazilians has great potential for Liverpool. Carroll can bring other players into play too, but it is more often via a flicked header or chested knock-down, and seldom through passing on the floor. In fact, the Gateshead-born spearhead didn't even register a through-ball during the entire 2014/15 campaign.
Brendan Rodgers was never going to make Carroll his main striker with Luis Suarez at the club. "My thinking was that, when you play with a targetman, he becomes the focal point of your team, so everything has to be set up around the big guy," Rodgers said before his team played West Ham in December 2013. “Sometimes you get sucked into doing it more direct, and clearly, with my history as a coach, I don’t work that way.”
The following match, Liverpool destroyed Tottenham with rapid counter-attacking football, as Rodgers began to shift his ideology.
His side were now getting the ball to Suarez and Daniel Sturridge as promptly as possible, with Steven Gerrard returning as a deep-lying playmaker in order to facilitate attacks through direct balls into the strikers. Despite that self-referenced “history”, Rodgers has become more pragmatic, and this will be even more evident during 2015/16 because now the Northern Irishman has to deliver results.
Sherwood’s wrong: Liverpool DO cross it
When he was still trying to persuade the Belgian to remain in the Midlands, manager Tim Sherwood questioned the logic of Liverpool's transfer committee in targeting Benteke. "We cross more balls into the box than any other club in the league and Christian has said that he feeds off crosses," said the Villa boss before the FA Cup final. "There’s no point going to a club where they don’t cross the ball."
Sherwood is wrong, on a number of counts. Over the entire 2014/15 campaign, Villa averaged 20 crosses per game (only six teams averaged fewer, West Ham topping the chart with 26). Liverpool weren’t far behind with 17, only three fewer per game than Villa, and with such a small differential Benteke could benefit from increased quality and accuracy rather than quantity and volume. While there's every chance Benteke might encourage Liverpool to cross more often, he should certainly help them threaten more from dead-ball situations. The Reds scored only six goals from set-pieces last term, compared with 26 in 2013/14.
Benteke not only offers a threat through his heading ability – since debuting in England, he has scored more headers (13) than any other player – but he can also strike a dead-ball with precision and power.
He’s not just a targetman, says God
When you consider Benteke has 49 goals in 101 appearances, it's a massive injustice to say that he relies solely on crosses. Only Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Robin van Persie have scored more goals in the Premier League since the Belgian’s arrival, which is remarkable given that he has spent the last three campaigns battling relegation. He also has admirers in high places. “In terms of all-round play – strength, speed, physicality, finishing – I think Benteke could be the main man for Liverpool," said Robbie Fowler.
"I’ve watched him a lot and he’s not just a targetman. He can hold the ball well and bring others into play, but he’s also mobile and keeps defenders on their toes." Although Benteke can't play in a variety of positions, he does exhibit tactical flexibility, being utilised in a variety of formations under Paul Lambert and Sherwood. He has shown that he's suited to leading the line on his own, with two wingers either side, or in tandem with a No.10 – and that he can create a useful partnership with a fast companion such as Gabby Agbonlahor, as he will hope to do with Sturridge when he returns from injury in September.
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featureTue, 21 Jul 2015 14:33:34 +0000Gregor MacGregor421026 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comRafa Benitezs Real Madrid dilemma: how do you get the best out of Toni Kroos?A year on from the Germans domineering display against Brazil at the World Cup,Kiyan Sobhanievaluates how Rafa Benitez can release the shackles imposed by Carlo Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu last season...Kiyan Sobhanihttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/rafa-benitezs-real-madrid-dilemma-how-do-you-get-best-out-toni-kroos
Toni Kroos’ first season with Real Madrid was hugely understated. Aged 25, the immensely talented Germanhas already won the Champions League and a World Cup, not to mention his various domestic trinkets and individual accolades at youth level.
Pep Guardiola indirectly appointed him the ‘Xavi’ of Bayern Munich upon his arrival in Bavaria, by assigning him the same role the Spanish wizard played in the Catalonian tactician's system the year before.
In Germany’s historic World Cup run last year, there wasn’t a single central midfielder who outshone him – even if Javier Mascherano and Paul Pogba were imperious at times. The dismantling of Brazil in Belo Horizonte a year ago to the day was orchestrated by Kroos, the engine and instigator of that historic night.
In that match, Kroos played alongside Sami Khedira and Bastian Schwiensteiger who provided some relief from his defensive duties, which in turn allowed him to pressure high up the pitch. Kroos has a brain that can dissect an opposing defence with quick, intricate passing that's impressive in its simplicity. It’s the same simplicity that Xavi and Andrea Pirlo – the best central midfielders of their generation – played with. He, with Luka Modric, forms the glue that holds Real Madrid together and helps ease the transition from midfield to attack in a side riddled with attacking talent. But the burden has been overwhelming.
Looking for Luka
Kroos under Carlo Ancelotti last season was overworked and overplayed; more than 4,500 minutes of football in a position he’s unaccustomed to. It was expected that the German would slot into a more advanced role, but the arrival of James Rodriguez and the unexpected – and untimely – departure of Xabi Alonso meant he would have to fill the void as a defensive midfielder.
Under Pep, Kroos gained experience as a deep-lying playmaker, but playing as a lone defensive midfielder is a whole different scenario altogether. It’s one that requires a bundle of defensive work and has a cap on how much you can venture forward. Certain teams can get away without fielding a defensive midfielder, as the more traditional ‘box-to-box’ man gains momentum in today’s tactical systems. But in order for that to work, you need to have several central midfielders to clog the middle and distribute the workload.
For the majority of last season, Real Madrid didn't have such luxuries and Kroos suffered because of it. Asier Illarramendi is fragile and was never trusted, Khedira had little desire to play and Lucas Silva is as raw as they come. This left just one capable midfielder, Modric, who could alleviate the burden on Kroos.
Due to the Croatian's various injuries, the Modric-Kroos pairing was possible only a handful of times. It’s no surprise that when they played together, both thrived, Real Madrid looked unstoppable and on course to become the first team to retain the Champions League since Milan kept the European Cupin the late '80s.
Barça-roamer
Los Blancos'best performance of the season was in the first Clasico back in October, where they outplayed and outworked a frustrated Barcelona side that had no answers to the relentless pressure and quick, direct football stemming from Real Madrid’s midfield. Kroos was everywhere. He completed 56 of his 60 passes; only Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves managed more that night. Iniesta completed 57 of 65; Alves 64 of 67, 63 of which were short passes to either Lionel Messi, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets or Luis Suarez.
That kind of efficiency from Kroos, though, requires a proper supporting cast. The 25-year-old was surrounded by Modric and Isco, and the former boasted a 100% pass-completion rate.
Both those midfielders were providing easy outlets to Kroos, and also tracking back to help pressure Barcelona’s midfield. All three pressed high together, and were always close in proximity to make easy passes to each other. But this was a luxury that Real Madrid didn’t often have.
Fast-forward to a big game against Juventus in the Champions League semi-final first leg. Kroos’ passing rate remained at a steady 93%, but his makeshift central midfield partner wasn’t nearly as helpful as his Croatian counterpart. Sergio Ramos was that man, who completed 84.6% of his efforts.
That doesn’t tell much of a story in this case. In that match, Ramos’s positioning and movement off the ball weren’t conducive to Real Madrid controlling the midfield, and the Spaniards were completely overrun defensively. It’s that lack of support which has far too often drilled Kroos straight into the ground, caused fatigue and had fingers pointing at him – unjustly.
Rafa's role
In the 2014/15 season, Real Madrid played seven times against their elite rivals (Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Juventus) and managed to win just two of them, drawing another two.
Such a record is one of the main reasons Ancelotti was sacked, but it points to a deeper issue. In every loss for those big matches, Modric was unavailable and Kroos was overburdened, having to play alongside either Ramos, Illarramendi or Khedira.
Real Madrid’s main problem last season was the lack of proper depth at the defensive midfielder position – a problem well out of Ancelotti’s control. It’s a problem that affects the whole team, starting from central midfield, and stems all the way to the front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. They can only function well with a working unit behind them – one that's defensively stable and can properly supply them the ball.
Have Real Madrid recognised this? So far new boss Rafa Benitez has said all the right things, stating that Kroos needs to play in a more advanced role, which requires the purchase of a new defensive midfielder.
Lazio's Lucas Biglia has been touted, but the club is at least taking the right steps to add depth by bringing back Casemiro from his loan spell at Porto – a tough, rugged destroyer who won’t back down from a challenge. He’s not the most polished midfielder, nor is he known for his football IQ, but a solid player in his position nonetheless. Benitez's next conundrum iswho gets dropped to accommodate Kroos’ new advanced role. Over to you, Rafa.
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featureWed, 08 Jul 2015 14:06:10 +0000Joe Brewin414907 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comWembley may come too soon for Wilshere, but hes doing right things for next seasonGreg Leaweighs up where the Arsenal mans 2015/16 season is heading, after a promising end to the current campaign...Greg Leahttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/wembley-may-come-too-soon-wilshere-hes-doing-right-things-next-season
Arsenal’s superb recent run of eight consecutive victories and 10 matches unbeaten was largely achieved with a settled side. The first half of the stretch featured only minimal game-by-game changes by the Gunners: Gabriel, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny were all given a chance to shine at centre-back, Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin shared the right-back spot and Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all handed starting berths at various times.
From then on, Arsene Wenger’s XI remained consistent: starting with the 4-1 home win over fellow top-four contenders Liverpool in early April, the Frenchman named the same team for the next six games, something of a rarity in the modern game and the first time Arsenal had done so since 1994.
Mertesacker and Koscielny established themselves at the heart of the defence; Bellerin made the right-back position his own; Aaron Ramsey was moved to the right with Alexis Sanchez on the left and Mesut Ozil fielded behind Olivier Giroud. Santi Cazorla was dropped back to play alongside Francis Coquelin.
The line-up was so constant that those on the fringes became almost forgotten. Walcott, one of those condemned to the sidelines through a combination of injury and the excellent form of Wenger’s trusty go-to men, announced his return with a bang by netting a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the league season, while Kieran Gibbs’ performances in that game and against Sunderland four days previously suggested he could pose a challenge to Nacho Monreal atleft-back.
The man Arsenal fans were most excited to see return, though, was Jack Wilshere. The 23-year-old has endured another season dogged by ankle problems, causing him to miss six months of action and make only nine starts in the Premier League, plus a further six in other competitions.
His recent reinstatement to the first team was, therefore, extremely welcome ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final with Aston Villa at Wembley. Having already qualified for the Champions League group stages, Arsenal are now hoping to win England’s primary domestic cup competition for the second successive year to ensure that this has been a positive campaign. After coming in from the wilderness, Wilshere could suddenly have a very big role to play as the Gunners attempt to realise that ambition.
"He is not a ball-winner"
After being brought off the bench for his first appearance since November in Arsenal’s 3-1 win at Hull earlier this month, Wilshere demonstrated exactly what he can bring to the side in just 22 minutes on the pitch.
The England international was full of drive and energy, making direct runs right through the middle of the pitch and playing penetrative balls forward. He also kept possession well, completing 19 of his 20 passes and helping Arsenal take the sting out of the game in the closing moments. It was an impressive cameo, especially considering how long the 23-year-old had gone without playing competitive football.
There is still some debate about what Wilshere’s best position is. He has been fielded as a No.10 in previous seasons, handed the creative mantle in advanced areas of the pitch.
More recently, Wenger has deployed him on the right, allowing him to drift infield onto his left foot. It's meant he can get involved in build-up play and find pockets of the space between the lines, but it's also handed him some defensive responsibilities out wide.
His most likely role in the long-term, though, remains in the centre of midfield. Wilshere’s biggest strength is his ability to collect the ball on the half-turn and burst forward in possession. When his starting position is too high, he is robbed of the chance to do so and inevitably drops deeper in search of the ball, leaving Arsenal with too few numbers at the top of the pitch and excessive congestion in the middle. Wilshere is still prone to moments of rashness and probably lacks the discipline to play as the midfield holder, as Wenger himself intimated when he told the press last October: “He is not a ball-winner... I believe he is more a guy who you want to get close to the final third. To keep him deep you take a big part of his efficiency away. He is a guy who likes to penetrate when there is many people, he can provoke free-kicks, he can create openings. It would be detrimental to his strengths in a position that is not his strength.”
Shuttle runner
Where Wilshere can thrive, then, is as a shuttler alongside a more defensive-minded destroyer such as Coquelin, whose breakthrough, while not as exciting or glamorous as Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane’s, has been of at least equal significance to his side. Such a position would allow Wilshere to get forward and join the attack while also taking advantage of his brilliant feet in tight areas, plus his ability to receive possession on the turn and embark on his trademark runs from central zones. In the 4-1 defeat of West Brom on Sunday, for example, he attempted four take-ons– no player on the pitch tried more.
Wilshere has done all he can in the battle to start Saturday’s FA Cup final, but the Wembley showpiece may have come just a tad too soon for the 23-year-old. Cazorla and Coquelin are likely to continue their partnership in midfield, meaning Wilshere’s best chance of inclusion is probably on the right.
In the long-term, however, Wilshere’s future surely lies in the middle of the park. The signature display of his career remains the 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium in 2011, highlighting his inconsistency andinjury troubles since (despite making his Premier League debut in 2008/09, Wilshere has only made more than 20 top-flight starts once in the subsequent six seasons).
Wilshere is clearly an outstanding talent, and it's to be hoped that he can prove exactly that in a fully-fit 2015/16. A high-class performance in the FA Cup final would remind Arsenal what they have been missing.
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featureThu, 28 May 2015 10:36:42 +0000Joe Brewin395002 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Games of the Year 2014/15: Shots, passes, tackles, foulsYouve seen the other awards (right? RIGHT?), so now its time to pick out the top flights most noteworthy matches...Joe Brewinhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-games-year-201415-shots-passes-tackles-fouls
FFT has paid tribute to the top men this season –see goalkeeper, full-back, centre-back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, striker, young player and our No.1– but what about the Premier League's most stat-friendly fixtures this season? Read on, with hope in your heart...
Most passes in a game: 1,189
Man United 4-0 QPR,Sep 14, 2014
Not quite the springboard for success where Louis van Gaal's side were concerned, but it was something of an ominous sign for QPR after this hiding. United toyed with the west Londoners in midfield, racking up a dizzying 754 passes and netting via new boys Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera. Wayne Rooney wrapped up a first-half rout and Juan Mata applied the finishing touches to a dominant display, but Harry's mob had given up long before that.
Fewest passes in a game: 574
QPR 0-0 West Ham,Apr 25, 2015
Get used to seeing QPR in this awards list –and even this particular match. Rangers fluffed their chance to claim a huge three points after Charlie Austin missed a penalty in this hoof-tastic clash. West Ham duo James Collins and Reece Burke were forced into a whopping 20 clearances each, while Cheikhou Kouyate was sent up for 17 aerial duels in midfield –9 of which he won. Probable neck ache for referee Mike Jones.
Best pass completion: 88.72%
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa, Sep 27, 2014
West Brom 3-0 Chelsea, May 18, 2015
Two 3-0 scorelines involving the Blues, and horror shows for fans of terrier-like pressing. A seventh-minute lead knocked the wind out of Villa's sails (below), before second-half goals from Diego Costa and Willian secured an easy three points at Stamford Bridge. That the Blues were allowed to complete 643 of their 701 passes didn't say much for Villa's efforts in September, with Jose Mourinho's men in turn allowing Villa to knock the ball about harmlessly in midfield. Against West Brom, Chelsea players strung 558 passes together compared with the Baggies' 367, meanwhile, but the hosts were happy to sit on an early lead with a man advantage for an hour... and duly thump the champions at The Hawthorns.
Worst pass completion: 58.71%
QPR 0-0 West Ham, Apr 25, 2015
We did warn you. Three of the four worst pass-completion rates this season were QPR home games.
Most shots: 52
QPR 3-2 Leicester, Nov 29, 2014
A madcap match at Loftus Road saw these relegation-threatened sides rack up the most efforts on goal in a Premier League game since Opta started recording the data in 2006/07. Only 11 of them found the target, but five goals were shared in a bonkers game the R's edged thanks to Austin's 73rd-minute goal. It sent Leicester to the bottom of the league, where they'd stay for 20 matchdays before securing a miraculous escape.
Fewest shots: 12
Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle, Feb 11, 2015
A soul-sapping dozen efforts at Selhurst Park, but a goal apiece for each side. Papiss Cisse put Newcastle ahead with their only shot on target just before half-time, with Fraizer Campbell equalising for Alan Pardew's troops against his former side shortly after inspired substitute Yannick Bolasie's arrival.
Most fouls: 37
Southampton 1-1 Chelsea, Dec 28, 2014
Chelsea fans: before you get angry, we'll just get this out of the way first –37 fouls in this game, 23 of them from Southampton, but one clear penalty on Cesc Fabregas not given by Anthony Taylor with the scores locked level. To rub salt into wounds, the Spaniard was booked for his troubles too.
Sadio Mane's goal was cancelled out by a brilliant Eden Hazard equaliser just before half-time, but a string of tactical fouls around the halfway line didn't really allow the Blues to find their groove.
Two Stoke home games made up the top three fouliest fixtures: against Newcastle (35), and joint-third against Southampton (34). We're not sure if that says more about the Potters or Saints.
Fewest fouls: 10
Aston Villa 0-2 Man City, Oct 4, 2014
On the surface it looks like another game where Aston Villa weren't too fussed about getting stuck in, but in reality Manchester City needed two goals in the last eight minutes from Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero to see off the Villans. Such nice men – though maybe not as nice as Leicester, two of whose home matches (vs Chelsea and Swansea) came joint-second (11 fouls).
Most dribbles attempted: 75
Man City 0-2 Arsenal, Jan 18, 2015
Arsenal's momentous win at the Etihad Stadium was achieved with some silky-smooth moves fit for a fine counter-attacking display. The influential Santi Cazorla attempted 14 take-ons, completing 10 of them, with Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weighing in with 6 and 5 respectively. City's dribble king on the day? Step forward former Gunner Gael Clichy, who was successful with all 6 of his efforts.
Fewest dribbles attempted: 13
QPR 3-2 West Brom, Dec 20, 2014
Another QPR home game, though you can hardly accuse this one of lacking entertainment. What it avoided in dribbly goodness it made up for with goals, QPR coming back from two goals down to win thanks to Austin's hat-trick. It was, as it turned out, Redknapp's last win in charge of Rangers.
Most tackles: 68
Arsenal 2-2 Man City, Sep 13, 2014
Arsenal and Man City coming back atcha', only this time with grit over guile at the Emirates. An entertaining tussle was accompanied with some terrific tackling from both sides in only the fourth match of the season, with Clichy again standing out (7/9), followed by Fernandinho (6/11) and James Milner (5/8). Nacho Monreal (5/7), Laurent Koscielny (5/5) and Aaron Ramsey (4/7) made up Arsenal's best ball-winners.
Fewest tackles: 15
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa, Sep 27, 2014
Not hugely surprising to see the game with the best pass-completion rate come out bottom for tackles; Chelsea only bothered to make 5. Three of the bottom five games for tackles were Villa ones, as it happens.
Most crosses: 50
West Ham 1-0 Burnley, May 2, 2015
Excluding corners the Hammers flung 32 balls into Burnley's box, and the Clarets responded with 18 of their own. No surprise, then, that West Ham have averaged more per game than any other team this season (26).
Carl Jenkinson led the way with 9 from open play, with Kieran Trippier and Stewart Downing managing 8 apiece (plus 3 corners each). Even West Ham sub Nene, on in the 78th minute, put 6 crosses into the mixer. Burnley games made up three of the top four most cross-happy fixtures. Box it!
Fewest crosses: 14
Swansea 0-5 Chelsea, Jan 17, 2015
Who needs wing play when you can just demolish through the middle? These two teams ignored the aerial approach at Liberty Stadium– though unfortunately for Swansea, they also ignored defending too.
Chelsea were stunning in a four-goal first half, Oscar kick-starting the rout after just 50 seconds and adding his second on 36 minutes after a Diego Costa brace. Andre Schurrle converted No.5 with 11 minutes remaining to seal a miserable afternoon for Garry Monk's Swans.
Most clearances: 117
West Ham 0-1 Chelsea, Mar 4, 2015
Again, not the biggest revelation that a West Ham game would force plenty of clearances– but it goes to show that Chelsea aren't afraid to mix things up either when necessary. Mourinho's champions were forced to beat away 68 balls as they sought to protect a 22nd-minute lead via Hazard, while West Ham themselves pumped 49 clear. Gary Cahill was a colossus, winning 13 of 14 aerial duels, with next-best Diafra Sakho coming out on top in only 5 of his 16. Four QPR home matches featured in the top six games.
Fewest clearances: 27
Arsenal 0-1 Swansea, May 11, 2015
Ball on the deck and no high crosses for us please, thank you very much. Swansea did, however, manage to complete their league double over the Gunners with a cross into the box being headed home by Gomis (if only just on this occasion)... for the second time this season.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 14:28:41 +0000Joe Brewin392152 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Team of the Year 2014/15Youve seen which players have scooped our individual awards, now its time to see whos made our finest statistical XI of the 2014/15 Premier League campaign...Joe Brewinhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-team-year-201415
You may be surprised, and you certainly won't like them all, butFFT has crunched the numbers with those clever bods at Opta Towers to craft our Stats Zone Awards Premier League Team of the Season.
Read on to find out who's made the cut...
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea)
Fabianski finally got the first-team football he craved by leaving Arsenal after seven years, and the Pole has justified the faith shown in him by Garry Monk with a stellar first season in Wales. His 13 clean sheets were only fewer than Joe Hart’s 14, but his 137 saves were matched by no one. His shots-to-save ratio was behind only Arsenal’s David Ospina and Sunderland giant Costel Pantilimon.
It contributed to Swansea’s best Premier League season yet, on the back of which their No.1 picked up the Players’ Player of the Year award. It’s no wonder they’re so keen to tie him down to a new contract, what with his current release clause being only £4 million according to reports, and the likes of Borussia Dortmund sniffing.
Right-back: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Another big season from the Serbian, who continued to prove why big can be beautiful even at right-back. Four goals and five assists was a big improvement on 2013/14, and the 31-year-old played every minute of every Premier League game this season (with the exception of coming off after his late red card against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October) for a Chelsea side that swept the competition away. It’s testament to Ivanovic that you just expect this level of performance from him these days.
Centre-back: Jose Fonte (Southampton)
Nobody could have foreseen just how successful Fonte has been at Southampton since joining from Crystal Palace in the Saints’ League One season of 2009/10. But the Portuguese’s stock has risen exponentially with his team's, helping them mount an unlikely assault for the Europa League thanks to a formidable backline that kept 15 clean sheets and shipped just 33 goals this season, behind only champions Chelsea (32). Fonte himself made more tackles (78) and interceptions (119) than any other Premier League centre-back this season. Unsurprisingly, Ronald Koeman’s skipper earned both the Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Year awards at Saints’ end-of-season bash – and now he can count FFT among his many admirers.
Centre-back: Ashley Williams (Swansea)
Finding a central defender you can rely on isn’t so easy these days, but Swansea have long been able to rest easy knowing the long-serving Williams is keeping guard for them. The 30-year-old Wales international has just completed his eighth season with the Welsh outfit having been with them since promotion from the third tier in 2007/08, captaining Monk’s men to an impressive league finish and record points haul.
Williams made the second-most clearances behind Burnley’s Jason Shackell – 204 more than his regular partner Federico Fernandez, who made only nine fewer appearances – and the second-most interceptions.
Left-back: Leighton Baines (Everton)
The most chances created by a defender in the Premier League (70), and with that the most assists (9) once again – suffice to say, creative excellence has come to be assumed from Baines for some time now. For large parts of the season it felt like the Everton left-back was the only player capable of making things happen for the Toffees, acting as a faux playmaker from deep with much of the play directed through him.
Only Gylfi Sigurdsson, Chris Brunt, Angel Di Maria (all 10), Santi Cazorla (11) and Cesc Fabregas (18) crafted more goals than Baines this season – which makes you wonder why this brilliant full-back isn’t anywhere near as influential in an England shirt.
Central midfielder: Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Not everyone was convinced when Chelsea parted with €25m to re-sign Matic from Benfica in January 2014, but a year-and-a-half on it’s impossible to imagine the Blues’ first team without the Serbian enforcer in it.
Matic thrives on the ugly, having made more tackles (129) than anyone else this season, but also offers a reliable outlet from which Chelsea can begin attacks – only six players completed more passes in the opposition half than the 26-year-old (1,038) this season.
Matic is a manager’s dream; Chelsea’s crucial comfort blanket who allows the likes of Fabregas Eden Hazard to thrive with his unselfish midfield play. “Kurt Zouma did amazingly well for us but Matic is Matic," purred Mourinho in March.
Central midfielder: Francis Coquelin (Arsenal)
Arsenal fans would have cackled like deranged lunatics had you told them Coquelin would be this revered by the season’s end, but the little Frenchman from Laval has only gone and done it.
He qualifies for this team having played at least half the season, but you know the story: underwhelming youth product dragged back from loan at Charlton to cover for latest Arsenal injury crisis.
It was quite literally his last chance to impress after three-and-a-half years of relative stasis, and even then his future already seemed sealed for the summer whatever happened.
But after being thrown into Arsene Wenger’s first team against West Ham on December 28, Coquelin has been simply brilliant. His inclusion coincided with the Gunners’ terrific run for the second half of the season when they won 12 of 14 matches to threaten Manchester City in second.
Despite limited appearances he made the fourth-most interceptions in the Premier League among midfielders this season (79) – and the most of all players since that West Ham game.
Central midfielder: Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
A season of two halves for Fabregas, much like many previous in his career, but still one in which he carved out a glorious 18 assists – the second-most ever in a Premier League campaign behind Thierry Henry’s 20 in 2002/03 and seven more than his next-best rivals. The Spaniard created the second-most chances overall (95, Hazard 101) and the most big opportunities (16), but a tail-off of form in the final few months could only leave Blues fans wondering how frightening his assist count could have been.
There was no place for the former Arsenal and Barcelona man in the PFA Team of the Year, much to Mourinho’s disgust – "With the season he is having, the number of assists, the quality of his game; for him not to be there is strange," said the bemused Chelsea chief – but don’t worry Jose, he’s got a spot in ours.
Attacking midfielder: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Sanchez has set the bar for Arsenal attackers this season – and it’s an incredibly high one. Sixteen goals in his debut Premier League campaign is the most of any midfielder in the top flight, but the Chilean also weighed in with eight assists – three shy of Gunners team-mate Santi Cazorla.
Only Eden Hazard beat him for completed dribbles and duels won; Fabregas for big chances created. Simply, Arsenal’s £35m signing from Barcelona has demonstrated it all while pooh-poohing the notion that foreign players always need longer to adapt in England.
"When I played for Barcelona, I knew that some home games were going to be easier than others,” he told Arsenal.com recently, reflecting on his first season.
"[But in England] every team is really strong. For instance, you cannot take for granted any score in this league. Any team can score goals in the last minutes of the game and I like that."
Attacking midfielder: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
The twinkle-toed Belgian won every domestic individual award going after inspiring Chelsea to their first title in five years, combining unselfish team play with regular moments of attacking wizardry. Fourteen goals and nine assists beat his combined tally for 2013/14, but the real joy came from beyond the numbers: the dribbles that left opponents dazed and confused, his movement off the ball and, perhaps above all, convincing Mourinho that others should be left to take care of defensive duties.
Hazard’s 179 completed take-ons was an almost-embarrassing 64 more than any other player in the league, putting him well clear of Cristiano Ronaldo (54) and even Lionel Messi (174) – thus making him Europe's best dribbler this season. Keep this up and he might be playing with one of them sooner rather than later.
Striker: Sergio Aguero (Man City)
If only. The two words Manchester City fans are tired of associating with Aguero. If only he could be relied on to stay fit for an entire season then maybe, just maybe, there’s more out there for them.
That applies to the Champions League more so than the Premier League this year – for the last two seasons, a lack of fitness has affected the Argentine around the last 16 stage – but the point stands. Aguero has glided almost effortlessly to 26 goals in the Golden Boot charts after managing 10 more league appearances than last season, demonstrating once again why he’s the top flight’s undisputed best striker. He also provided the joint-most assists of any hitman (8), attempted the most shots (148) and completed the most dribbles (87).
Four- and three-goal hauls at the Etihad Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers respectively demonstrated the deadly class of a player fit for any side in the world. And he’s still only 26.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 13:50:13 +0000Joe Brewin392087 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comHow Hazard began his quest to become Chelseas RonaldoThis seasons Stats Zone Premier League Player of the Year has swept up the annual awards, andMichael Coxsays its because Jose Mourinho has been forced to make another exception...Michael Coxhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/how-hazard-began-his-quest-become-chelseas-ronaldo
When Jose Mourinho was appointed Chelsea manager two summers ago, Eden Hazard had a problem. He was now a winger playing under Jose Mourinho –but he wasn’t a Jose Mourinho winger.
Just as, for example, the Arsene Wenger full-back is quick, technical and proactive with his defensive play, and the Pep Guardiola centre-back is composed, calm and good in possession, the Jose Mourinho winger is disciplined, hard-working and good at springing forward from deep positions.
So while the likes of Andre Schurrle, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Juan Mata couldn't make it work in Chelsea's right-wing position, Willian has proved perfect.
A willing runner who tracks back constantly, his defensive work is more impressive than his attacking play, which summarises precisely what Mourinho wants. Hazard isn’t that player, and therefore had to adapt.
Jose's Ronaldo
The exception to this rule, though, is Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. There, Mourinho didn't ask Ronaldo to sprint back and protect his full-back. He didn't ask him to form a second bank of four behind the ball.
He didn't even ask him to track the opposition full-back. Ronaldo had licence to stay high up the pitch, remain in a position to counter-attack and cause the opposition problems with his sheer pace and ability to beat the opposition right-back. Therefore, there were two potential avenues for Hazard: he could become the standard Mourinho winger, or attempt to become his new Ronaldo.
Mourinho was honest about the freedom he gave Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "Cristiano has had three fantastic seasons with me. I don't know if they were the best of his career because he had some fantastic moments with Manchester United," Mourinho said after leaving Real. "I think we created a fantastic situation for him tactically in which he could express all his potential and turn that into records and goals."
The 'fantastic tactical situation' essentially meant Ronaldo didn't have to contribute defensively. Other players –Marcelo, Mesut Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Angel Di Maria –were given roles which meant this wasn't disastrous. Mourinho is a system-first manager, but he happily changed his for one of the world's most outstanding players.
Gary Neville, who played as a full-back behind Ronaldo for a good few years, said something similar. "He completely changed my opinions about the game," the former Manchester United skipper admitted a couple of years ago. "I'd always been taught that I must have a right winger in front of me, but I knew he'd go and win us the match. Darren Fletcher would say that we'd have to work around him, because he'd always do more harm than opposing players he was leaving free to go forward.
"All the premeditated tactical theories I'd learned about getting and staying in your shape, tracking back with your runner; all the things that had been drummed into me were thrown out over those two years because we had a player who could make up his own rules with the blessing of his team-mates."
Eden's up
The question, then, is whether Hazard can become entrusted in this manner. At Real Madrid, Mourinho was dealing with a player in almost a unique situation, a superstar footballer at a club that prides themselves on having superstars. Mourinho, for the only time in his career, wasn't the main man –and that meant he needed to make an exception. Hazard's first season under Mourinho finished with him facing plenty of criticism for his lack of defensive ability. In the 3-1 home defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, Chelsea conceded two goals because Juanfran bombed past Hazard easily.
The Belgian neglected his defensive responsibilities, rather than being absolved from any responsibility. He barely did anything without the ball, while Juanfran created chances for two Atletico goals.
Mourinho was furious, particularly when Hazard hinted he’d been unhappy with Chelsea’s reactive, counter-attacking approach. "You get this kind of comment from players like him: from players who can’t resolve a problem like we had with the first [Atletico] goal," fumed Mourinho. "You understand where the mistake was and why we conceded that goal... when the comments come from a player like Eden, it’s normal. He’s not the kind of player ready to sacrifice himself 100 per cent for the team. I’m not happy."
Things improved, though. At the start of this campaign, it wouldn't have been possible for Mourinho to tell Hazard to stay high up the pitch permanently. Chelsea were already open in the centre because Cesc Fabregas was bombing forward from a deep position, with Nemanja Matic just about covering for him. Hazard couldn’t be given a free role, and had to get through some defensive work.
"Defensively we are very strong," Hazard said in December. "All the players want to defend for the team, even the attacking players... even me! He tells the attacking players to go for goals, to play our football, but when you don’t have the ball you have to defend."
Exceptional exception
But now, Chelsea have become more structured in midfield. Matic has had a defensive player alongside him –sometimes Ramires, sometimes converted centre-back Kurt Zouma –while Willian established himself on the right because he was the most defensive option. Theoretically, Matic could now cover out to the left flank, with Cesar Azpilicueta also remaining in a defensive position to stop breaks down that side.
Now, especially since Hazard has shown his ability to run matches –he can beat opponents, score goals and create chances for his team-mates –he’s moved into the class of players whose lack of defensive work-rate can be tolerated, and maybe even encouraged.
Do you want Hazard tracking the opposition right-back? Or do you want him to remain in behind his opponent, in the knowledge that only the centre-backs are separating him from goal once he receives possession? Against weak opposition, Hazard runs riot when allowed to remain high up the pitch. Against stronger sides, he often gets the ball when boxed in, close to the touchline inside his own half.
Hazard is hugely ambitious, wants to become the world’s best and has spoken of his determination to improve his goal return. "The best players in the world – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo– they score 40-50 goals in a season. That's what I have to do," he toldFFT in November.
For that, he needs to play higher up the pitch. Can he become Chelsea’s Ronaldo?
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 13:16:29 +0000Joe Brewin392471 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Young Player of the Year 2014/15Everyone wants a piece of Harry Kane after a terrific first full season in the Premier League with Spurs...James Mawhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-young-player-year-201415
What more is there to say about Harry Kane? FourFourTwo’s current cover star has had an incredible season; he’s finally secured regular first-team football, breached the 30-goal barrier, made his senior England debut, been picked in the PFA’s Premier League Team of the Year, been named as PFA Young Player of the Year and now, best of all, is Stats Zone’s Young Player of the Year.
However, the striker had to bide his time – he didn’t start a Premier League match until November 9 against Stoke, but his real breakthrough came a week before at Aston Villa.
With Spurs a goal down and labouring, Kane was thrown on to replace the struggling Emmanuel Adebayor. In 58 minutes on the pitch, the Togolese striker had mustered 2 tame shots and completed 20 passes, only 11 of which were in the attacking third.
In his 32 minutes, Kane may have only managed to complete 8 passes, but he did manage 2 far more purposeful shots on target – one of which found the back of the net in the 89th minute (via a healthy deflection, it must be said), winning Spurs three points. Put simply, he was far more effective.
If the away game at Villa Park was where Kane kick-started his season, the home match against Chelsea on New Year’s Day was when he established himself as a real Premier League star. Kane was in devastating form as Spurs romped to a surprisingly emphatic 5-3 victory over their London rivals. The Chingford-born hitman not only scored twice – from the only 2 shots he attempted all match – but he also provided an assist for winger Nacer Chadli (the second of 4 he provided over the course of the Premier League season).
For a few months, Kane was the hottest forward in the land. By the time he’d scored twice against Arsenal on February 7, he was on a run of 11 goals in 14 matches; a few days later he made it 12 in 15 at Anfield.
That form made him a marked man, as he explained to FFT:“Defenders are getting quite a bit tighter on me now, and maybe there’s a defensive midfielder screening in front of me too.”
That – as well as Christian Eriksen’s dip in form – may explain why his goal rush slowed towards the end of the season. This was particularly harmful to Spurs as Kane’s goals have been worth no fewer than 24 points to his club – more than double those of Sergio Aguero’s 26 strikes for Manchester City. Matching this season’s achievements in 2015/16 will be no mean feat, but Kane can afford to look back on the campaign just gone as a job very well done.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 12:56:45 +0000Joe Brewin392073 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Striker of the Year 2014/15Did his usual thing: got goals, got injured, returned slowly then ripped defenders apart.If anyone can, Kun can...Andrew Murrayhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-striker-year-201415
It may come as something of a surprise that 2014/15 represents Sergio Aguero’s best personal season in a Manchester City shirt. Cliché has it that when the Argentine hitman plays well, so do City as a team.
While that’s true, in this campaign Aguero eclipsed his 2011/12 return of 30 goals in all competitions – the last of which famously won the Blues the league – without Manuel Pellegrini’s side ever looking like winning this year’s Premier League, or even looking like a particularly cohesive unit.
That said, Aguero’s goals are the reason why City have finished runners-up (albeit a lap or so behind) to champions Chelsea. Despite being one of football’s most genuine nice guys, he sparks fear into the opposition in a way matched by few centre-forwards. His acceleration, mazy dribbles and clinical finishing make it easy to see why. He won the Golden Boot this year as the top flight’s top goalscorer, (26 goals) but further, FourFourTwo Stats Zone figures show just why he tops our list of the Prem’s best strikers.
Aguero averaged the most shots per game (4.5), managing nearly one more than the next-best forward [QPR's Charlie Austin]; no striker created more goals than the 26-year-old's 8, nor attempted more dribbles than his 4.8 per match.
In short, then, he’s supremely potent. Aguero is the ideal attacking player for the Premier League – his acceleration zips a stocky frame beyond defenders, and a dead eye for goal helps finish any chance.
If one game summed up Aguero’s campaign, it came in City’s 6-0 mauling of QPR. He may have scored more against Spurs back in October, and he definitely faced sterner opposition than the west Londoners this season, but Aguero’s display that May afternoon was the No.16’s game in microcosm.
The first of his hat-trick that day was a jinking run between three Rangers defenders followed by a delicious dinked finish over goalkeeper Rob Green; the second a clinical one-on-one to capitalise on a defensive error; and the third a coolly-taken penalty. He also set up James Milner for a tap-in, ghosting in behind the back of the defence to square for the England midfielder.
Rumours that Real Madrid will be sniffing around this summer persist from the Spanish press, even though Pellegrini insists no amount of euros will part Manchester City from their prized asset. Enjoy him while you can, because Aguero at his injury-free best is simply a joy to behold.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 12:14:14 +0000Joe Brewin392072 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Attacking midfielder of the Year 2014/15A brilliant year for a brilliant player whos won rather a lot for himself this season...Joe Brewinhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-attacking-midfielder-year-201415
“Even if I play bad I want to win something with Chelsea this season,” Eden Hazard told FFT back in September. It’s easy to forget that two seasons into his Blues career, the Belgian hadn’t – save for the Europa League in 2013 when he missed the final with a hamstring injury.
Eight months on from that statement, the 24-year-old now knows he needn’t have worried about either of those things. Hazard’s individual honours list for the 2014/15 campaign includes PFA, FWA and Premier League Player of the Year gongs, while his inclusion in the former’s team of the year for the third season running added to the hat-trick he’d racked up with Lille in Ligue 1.
Then there’s Chelsea winning their first Premier League title for five years, plus the League Cup, both spearheaded by their diminutive dribble king who scored 14 league goals for the second campaign running and added 9 assists for good measure.
Hazard may wish to scale the outrageous goalscoring heights of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi one day, but the reality is that he is commendably unselfish and thus probably never will. Yet still, the individual moments of brilliance this season were plentiful.
No player completed more dribbles than his 179 across Europe's top five leagues, and no one got anywhere close in the Premier League (Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez came in a distant second on 115).Hazard saw 23 opponents booked for fouling him.Nobody created more chances from open play (99) and his exceptional passing accuracy of almost 87% was considerably better than the comparable Sanchez (77%).
Credit goes to Jose Mourinho for releasing the shackles of his player’s defensive responsibilities, but Hazard in turn has repaid his manager with the consistently mesmeric attacking displays that the Portuguese’s faith warranted. From the very beginning of the season, Hazard was making key contributions in big games.
At Manchester City in September, it was Hazard’s direct running and nimble footwork that started and finished the move for Andre Schurrle’s opener. Two matches later against Arsenal, the Belgian embarrassed Santi Cazorla and Calum Chambers before being hauled down for a penalty he duly converted.
In the reverse fixture against Man City at Stamford Bridge he laid on another terrific assist for Loic Remy in an otherwise defensive display from the champions-elect, while against Manchester United in April, his burst forward and cool finish was the difference in a 1-0 win with the title approaching.
Simply, Hazard stepped up in the games that mattered most, and in many more when the Blues looked otherwise out of ideas – see his lovely give-and-go with Oscar to set up Cesc Fabregas for that 88th-minute winner at QPR. Often unplayable, always enjoyable, Hazard was the man Chelsea could call upon for any job this season – and that’s why he’s Stats Zone’s Attacking midfielder of the Year.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 11:53:25 +0000Joe Brewin392071 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Central midfielder of the Year 2014/15A commanding season for champions Chelsea, embodied by their dominant midfield marshal...Ben Welchhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-central-midfielder-year-201415
Fleet-footed maestro Eden Hazard took the plaudits for his starring role in Chelsea’s title charge – and rightly so. The Belgian completed 179 dribbles, streets ahead of nearest rival Alexis Sanchez. Hazard created more chances than any other Premier League player this season (101). He was Chelsea’s chief architect, and of the Premier League’s attacking midfielders, only Arsenal's Chilean star Sanchez scored more.
But it’s a fair question to ask if he or any of Chelsea’s attacking talents would have had the freedom to cause chaos in the attacking third if you’d removed the roadblock behind them. The answer, of course, is no. That impenetrable barricade was Nemanja Matic. His team-mates rely on him – not only to do their dirty work, but to supply pinpoint passes into feet.
After signing a 21-year-old Matic from Kosice for £1.5 million, the Blues used him as a makeweight in the deal to bring David Luiz to Stamford Bridge from Benfica. The Brazilian has since departed for PSG and Matic returned to west London in a deal worth £22m after excelling at the Estádio da Luz. And what a coup he’s proved to be. He made more tackles than any other player in the top division (129) this season, won the third-most duels overall (278) and was second to creator-in-chief Cesc Fabregas for passes made in the opposition half. He’s revered for his efficient defensive work, but he’s more than just a water-carrier. He can play, too.
His impact at both ends of the pitch was highlighted in Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa in February, where Matic made more passes than any other player on the pitch (74, with a 91% completion rate), two of which led to goalscoring opportunities. Defensively he was just as influential, making 5 tackles, 6 clearances and 9 ball recoveries – only Villa’s Carles Gil managed more (11).
Again, it was Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic who hogged the headlines with goals, but it was Matic’s discipline and tactical acumen that let the mavericks off their leash. It came on the same day Manchester City drew 1-1 at home with Hull City, giving Chelsea a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
The Serbian showed his worth again during Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in April. Refusing to break rank, the Blues sat back and allowed United to dominate possession, which bore little reward for Louis van Gaal’s side as Matic stepped in before any openings could present themselves. The 6ft 4in sentinel made 10 ball recoveries, 5 tackles and 4 headed clearances to keep the red wave at bay.
Chelsea may not have shown much of their attacking prowess that day, but the Blues went on to win their first title for five years and a fourth in 11 campaigns. “He’s [Matic] a giant. Not for his size but for the way he plays. The man is a giant.” Who’s going to argue with Jose?
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 11:24:33 +0000Joe Brewin392027 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of the Year 2014/15He picked up both of his clubs big individual awards this season, and now this sturdy stopper has another accolade...James Mawhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-centre-back-year-201415
Back in August, few observers would have named Jose Fonte among Southampton’s star names. In fact, he was probably the lowest-profile member of Saints’ back four behind England hopefuls Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand and Belgium mainstay Toby Alderweireld. But this season the Portuguese centre-back really made a name for himself, becoming the key figure of the Premier League’s meanest defence.
The success Ronald Koeman’s side enjoyed this season was built on a water-tight backline – one that conceded just 33 goals over the course of 38 matches. This was probably just as well given their new wave of attacking players – namely Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle – have been prone to spells of brow-slapping profligacy. Fonte was imperious from the first whistle of the season to the last, and it was therefore a surprise to see the Saints’ skipper omitted from the PFA’s Team of the Season. The Portuguese was certainly far more solid and reliable than Chelsea’s Gary Cahill – who did make the cut – and you could also make an argument for the Southampton man having a better individual season than Cahill’s defensive partner (both at Stamford Bridge and in the PFA XI) John Terry. And argue we will...
Terry may have ended the season by lifting the Premier League trophy, and the Chelsea defender has certainly had a superb campaign, but Fonte has performed to an even higher level. Over the course of the league season, the 31-year-old made a total of 22 blocks, 56 successful tackles, 119 interceptions and 202 clearances. The Blues' skipper made 30 blocks, 37 successful tackles and only 32 interceptions.
Perhaps his humble career path – from Portugal to the Premier League, via Crystal Palace and League One – has for some reason prevented him from winning the plaudits his consistent brilliance has deserved.
Fonte came into his own around the turn of the year, when many were tipping Southampton to fall away into mid-table obscurity. Against Arsenal on New Year’s Day, he made 2 timely interceptions and 11 clearances as Arsene Wenger’s side were not only kept at bay, but beaten 2-0 at St Mary's.
Little over two weeks later, Fonte made 2 blocks, 12 clearances and a whopping 7 interceptions, as the Hampshire side scrapped to a 2-1 win at Newcastle. His luck was also in that day, with referee Bobby Madley failing to spot what looked a pretty clear handball in the penalty area. Southampton may have faltered in the final run-in, with only two wins from their last eight, but the eventual seventh-placed finish is highly commendable and may still be enough for Europa League football. Fonte was at the heart of their success.
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 10:56:30 +0000Joe Brewin392025 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Full-Back of the Year 2014/15Next, a familiar face earning his second Stats Zone award in three seasons and completing a hat-trick for his club...Gary Parkinsonhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-full-back-year-201415
Everton haven’t had a good campaign. Roberto Martinez’s second season has required the rebuilding of an ageing defence while enduring an extra 10 games in the Europa League. Rarely out of the bottom half since November, they’ve accrued their lowest points total since 2004’s 17th-placed finish (47).
None of this is the fault of Leighton Baines. The very Mod model of a modern creative full-back, he created a startling 70 chances this season; among his full-back contemporaries, only Kieran Trippier (65) came close, with the third-highest chance creation coming from Branislav Ivanovic way back on 36.
All teams crave reliable creativity, and twice per game Baines will serve up a potential goal. True, on 61 occasions he turned away in frustration as the chance went begging, but his 9 assists were easily the most by any full-back this season (nearest challenger was Daryl Janmaat with 6). Intriguingly, it’s also almost twice as many as the 5 he recorded in 2012/13, when he was also the Stats Zone Full-Back of the Year – from an astonishing 116 chances created.
This season’s higher conversion rate might make Toffees' fans wonder how bad this campaign might have got (or conversely how good 2013 might have been with more goal threat) but, as noted, Baines has been busy in defence, where Everton haven’t been leakier since 2004 (50 goals conceded).
The Scouser contributed 53 tackles (winning 89% of them) and 45 interceptions, blocking 7 shots and making 88 clearances (43 with his head – not bad for a fella of 5ft 7in).
Baines created a whopping 6 chances vs Villa in October; against Newcastle he demonstrated his defensive acumen too, putting in 6 tackles and carving out half as many opportunities
But for all his defensive solidity, the abiding image of Baines will be flying forward with the ball at his feet, Mod hairdo fluttering in the wind as he looks up and seeks a team-mate.
Averaging almost 50 passes a game with an 84% completion rate, he’s pretty much always an option – and even when he’s not directly involved in goals, his presence as a tireless overlapper gives Everton width on the left and allows his colleagues to cut inside and overload – much as Seamus Coleman did on the other side en route to being named the 2013/14 Stats Zone Full-Back of the Year.
Perhaps his passing will help him extend his career for a good while yet. He turned 30 in December, but by that time Martinez had already flown him to Munich to watch Philipp Lahm, another expert full-back who adapted his game to a central role and can now look forward to growing old gracefully at the heart of his team’s operations. The only problem with that is: where will Everton find a left-back even half as good?
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 10:27:00 +0000Joe Brewin392024 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comStats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15 First up, the top flights clean sheet-collecting shot-stopper... once maligned by fans of his former club...Huw Davieshttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/stats-zone-premier-league-goalkeeper-year-201415
Somebody should sit Arsene Wenger down, put Joni Mitchell on the stereo and leave him to learn from Big Yellow Taxi that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. For the second year running, FourFourTwo’s Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Season gong is awarded to an Arsenal émigré. Last year it was Sunderland’s Vito Mannone proving the Frenchman wrong – briefly, at least – and in 2014/15 it’s the turn of his erstwhile senior partner in Waiting For Wojciech Szczesny To Get Injured Ltd.
Lukasz Fabianski had to wait seven years for first-team football in Engl – the UK, and he was 29 when the expiry of his Arsenal contract allowed that to happen. But good things come to those who wait, we’re told, and what promises to be a fruitful Swansea City career began, encouragingly, with a win at Old Trafford on his debut. Signing Fabianski always looked like a bargain for the Swans – good feet for a passing team, plus a healthy shot-to-save ratio and Premier League experience – all for the princely sum of zero pounds and zero pennies, but only in retrospect is it so abundantly clear what a fine acquisition he was. Liberated, the goalkeeper’s move to South Wales seemed to bring him confidence, which has only grown with good performances.
Fabianski had big games against former club Arsenal and Manchester City
Meanwhile, the departing Michel Vorm, such a key player for the Welsh side, has endured a season to forget in north London with Tottenham – something with which Fabianski could surely sympathise.
If the Pole’s place in our team of the season comes as a surprise, that’s because, like nearly all reliable goalkeepers, he does his best work unnoticed. Football fans outside Wales’ second city probably wouldn’t guess that Fabianski was behind only Joe Hart (14) for clean sheets this season (13) or that he made the most saves in the top flight (137). Swansea’s defence has been improved but not impenetrable: that they recorded their lowest goals-against tally in the Premier League is thanks in large part to their goalkeeper.
Fabianski also has the highest shots-to-saves ratio in the league after David Ospina (who featured for less than half of the season) and Costel Pantilimon (who is really, really tall). He held onto 88 of his 89 catches, a figure that England’s cricket team would do well to copy and one especially helpful for Swansea, following Vorm’s less-than-dominant aerial presence.
Players’ Player of the Year at Swansea, having made more league appearances there than in seven years at Arsenal, and back in Poland’s starting XI – ahead of Szczesny, ironically – Fabianski has begun a new life to the west of the Severn. Maybe it was worth the wait after all.
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 10:00:00 +0000Joe Brewin392023 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comFFT announce Stats Zone Awards 2014/15FourFourTwo have revealed the winners of the third annual Stats Zone Awards.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fft-announce-stats-zone-awards-201415
The awards were decided by a panel ofFourFourTwowriters and Opta analysts, who used facts provided inthe award-winning Stats Zone appto back up their decisions. Categories covered the Premier League's best goalkeeper, centre-back, full-back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder and striker from the 2014/15 campaign (which you can find by clicking the links below).
There were also individual awards for the top flight's best overall and young players, won by Liverpool duo Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling respectively last season.
The panel also selected their Premier League XI of the campaign and the most noteworthy games– including those with the most passes, shots and fouls.
Look out for a Stats Zone European Team of the Year later in the week, meanwhile, and discover who was the most average player in the Premier League during the 2014/15 campaign.
The awards...
Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Striker of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of2014/15
Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year
Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Year
featureTue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 +0000Joe Brewin392967 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comMan Utd 1-1 Arsenal: Herreras scored 6 goals from how many shots on target this season?Manchester Uniteds score draw with the Gunners, as seen through the eyes of Stats Zone, available to download FREE on iOS and Android or use through your browser...http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/man-utd-1-1-arsenal-herreras-scored-6-goals-how-many-shots-target-season
Arsenal took a significant step closer to sealing third place in the Premier League after coming from behind to draw at direct rivals Manchester United.
The Red Devils made two changes from their 2-0 success at Crystal Palace last time out, with Marcos Rojo and Radamel Falcao drafted in to replace sidelined duo Luke Shaw and Wayne Rooney. Arsenal, meanwhile, were able to name the same side for the sixth game running, matching a 21-year-old club record.
Despite winning at Old Trafford in the FA Cup earlier in the year, the Gunners had not done it in the league since a 1-0 victory at the Theatre of Dreams in September 2006 courtesy of Emmanuel Adebayor's strike.
A first half in which Arsenal registered 0 shots offered little encouragement to travelling supporters hoping to witness a sixth consecutive Premier League away win, and Ander Herrera's 30th-minute opener only dampened moods in the away section further. It was the first time since New Year's Day at Southampton that the Gunners had conceded a goal in the opening 45 minutes, and it capped an impressive half for the Spanish schemer, who was the game's top passer (38/41) and United's top tackler (4/6) at the interval.
An out-of-sorts Arsenal had been comfortably out-passed by their north-west adversaries before the break (267 to 150), but the north Londoners upped the ante upon the restart, with Alexis Sanchez smashing an effort over the crossbar and Olivier Giroud toe-poking at David de Gea's legs from close range.
In the first half Arsenal had completed just 18 passes in the attacking third, but in the second period that number had been eclipsed within 15 minutes as the visitors pushed for parity. Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere were both introduced by Arsene Wenger, while De Gea was withdrawn due to injury in what was potentially his final Old Trafford outing ahead of a mooted move to Real Madrid.
And Arsenal were rewarded after 82 minutes as substitute Walcott's right-wing cross took a deflection off (another sub) Tyler Blackett and flew past (another sub) Victor Valdes, making his Premier League debut.
A point apiece means Arsenal will be assured of third spot and automatic entry to the Champions League group phase with victory at home to Sunderland on Wednesday evening. A draw is also likely to be enough due to their superior goal difference over Manchester United, who already have fourth place sewn up and will face a two-legged play-off to qualify for Europe's elite competition after a year away from it.
Match facts
Arsenal have named the same team in 6 consecutive Premier League games for only the second time (January 1994 the other).
Ander Herrera has scored 6 goals from 7 shots on target in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal failed to have a single shot in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time since November 2004 vs Liverpool.
Tyler Blackett scored only Man United's second own goal vs Arsenal in the Premier League, the other was by Gary Pallister in March 1994.
The Gunners have not beaten United in the Premier League in 8 attempts, since Aaron Ramsey scored the winner at the Emirates in May 2011.
Manchester United have gone 8 Premier League games without a clean sheet for the first time since September 2001.
Analyse Man United 1-1 Arsenal with Stats Zone
featureSun, 17 May 2015 17:50:00 +0000Gregg Davies390171 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com